In U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,104, G. Francis discloses a brick panel wall construction including a backing board for a brick panel which is formed of plastic foam. The wall construction includes a number of brick panels having plastic foam backing boards and what is termed to be "load bearing" clip members that support the bricks which are secured to the backing boards. The load bearing clip members are sandwiched within the tongue and groove joints between adjacent upper and lower brick panels. Each clip includes a protruding terminal lip that extends into the joint area between bricks of adjacent panels wherein is packed mortar to cover the protruding lips of the clips. These clips become, according to G. Francis, the support for the bricks that are secured to the plastic foam backing boards.
In my own prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,473 I have disclosed a clip structure which is different from the Francis clip structure in providing a clamping structure for clamping the foam siding or backing boards against the associated supporting structure and in that an anchoring structure is provided which is offset from the joint zone between adjacent siding panels or backing boards. The arrangement is such that at the outer surface of the siding panels adjacent the joint therebetween there is provided in place of the anchoring structure of the Francis clip an L-shaped structure which depends from a central portion of the clip and extends downwardly along one of the adjacent and corresponding siding panels. The toe of the L-shaped clip bears thereupon an arrow-shaped anchor which includes or defines grooves which run parallel to the siding panels.
A large number of other U.S. Patents have also been located which reveal different types of clip constructions adapted for use with endwise abutting wall sections or the like. These patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,662,177; 1,791,639; 1,939,528; 2,648,103; 3,102,366; 3,134,197; 3,608,263; 3,675,383; 3,782,058; 4,069,636 and 4,156,993.
G. E. Allen discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,058 a tying device for tying a wooden board to the uppermost tier of face bricks and a composite face brick and concrete block wall construction. This tying device is stamped from a thin sheet of flat metal stock. It is designed to be installed laterally between the inside faces and the outside faces of masonry blocks and to lie between the butt joints of the concrete. The tying device of this patent includes an elongated body member having opposite flat faces and an upper end and a lower end. The lower end is bent laterally outwardly to define a horizontal anchoring foot integral with the body member. The upper end of the body member is split longitudinally and defines a pair of oppositely horizontally extending tying arms extending from the upper end of the body member perpendicularly in opposite directions therefrom.
M. McColley discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,197 an elongated spacer member having a rear upright flange portion secured to a structure by which a panel is supported and which underlies the rear face of the panel along the bottom marginal edge portion threof, the bottom of the flange being substantially at the level of the bottom edge of the panel. Also provided is a ledge portion integral with the upright flange portion and projecting forwardly from the bottom thereof, the ledge portion underlying the bottom edge of the panel to support the same. Moreover, there is provided a front upright portion integral with the ledge portion and projecting downwardly from the front thereof to the rim of the associated fixture, the front face of the front upright portion being coplanar with the front face of the panel. In addition, there is provided an integral lip portion projecting obliquely rearwardly and upwardly from the bottom of the front upright portion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,103, O. Wahlfeld discloses a wall covering for attachment to the sheathing of a wall structure comprising siding pieces arranged for securement to the sheathing and a molding to support in space each successive siding piece in a given relationship with respect to the adjacent attached piece. The molding comprises a stepped section to engage over the attached siding piece with a surface portion thereof in coplanar contact with the fact of the siding piece, and a support section for connection with the next successive siding piece. Deformations are provided in the surface portion of the stepped section of the molding for holding the molding in place on the attached siding piece.
R. Slowinski shows in U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,366 an end joint clip for spanning and supporting the abutting ends of contiguous wall panels on spaced wall panels spanning each end of the joint between said abutting ends to prevent misalignment and sagging of the abutting ends. The clip is adapted to be installed after erection of the contiguous and spaced panels. It is of a construction comprising an elongated and substantially flat rib, bowed along its longer axis into a single substantially convex-concave arch. Furthermore, a substantially flat arm is provided which projects laterally outwardly from the convex side of the rib adjacent each end thereof and which is arranged transversely of the longer axis. A tab is furthermore provided projecting laterally outwardly from the side of each arm remote from the other arm and diverging from the tab on the other arm towards the concave side of the rib.
As will be seen, the aforesaid structures, as well as the structures of the other above-noted patents, differ substantially from the construction of the present invention as described in detail hereinbelow.